Need a Nudge?

Before I get in to the proper post, I've had a lot of people asking me about my friends in Japan in light of the recent disaster there.  My heart goes out to all the people affected by this tragedy, especially those people who have friends and family in the Sendai region who they are still unable to get in contact with.  I'm happy to report however that all my friends in Japan are far removed from that region and are safe and sound.  It's still a terrible tragedy, and as citizens of the global community I encourage everyone to support Japan in whatever way they can.


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Okay ladies and gentlemen, I've got another post based off information obtained from the Outdoor Adventure Show.  This time I've drawn from my magic bag of goodies a very unique brochure that focuses not just on travel, but also on physical fitness.  The company is called Nudge and they are based out of Mississauga.  Their product offering is described as "adventure travel and endurance training" which I think make a fascinating combo.  You can check out their website here or read on for my summary of things:

www.nudgetraining.com

The concept is that certain trips are going to require an above-average level of physical fitness to be enjoyable; hiking the Scottish Highlands, running a marathon in the Swiss Alps, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.  So, Nudge is combining the two things you need to enjoy these adventures - a travel guide to help plan the trip, and a personal trainer to get you in the proper physical condition to succeed.  Obviously each type of adventure is going to require different types of training; all of it will require good endurance training, but climbing a mountain is going to have a different type of strength training regimen than running a marathon.

Part of the reason that I find this to be such a good concept is that I know fundamentally that it can work.  Graydyn and I did this to a certain extent before we went to Japan.  We decided fairly early on that a hike up Mt. Fuji was going to be on the itinerary, and we started trying to tailor our exercise routine to include workouts that would help with that.  I took up the workout of marching up and down the stairs for 30 minutes at a time, eventually increasing that to 45 minutes.  We went on a lot more hikes, and tried to find hilly regions to hike in (which can be a challenge in Toronto).  We didn't develop a specific training regimen for that climb, but we certainly used it as a motivation to exercise, and it really can be a great motivator.  For me a big part of any adventure is in the planning, and looking forward to it.  That's the kind of excitement and energy that can easily be harnessed for the purposes of getting in to better shape.

Unfortunately for me Nudge is located in Mississauga, and given the quality and extensiveness of the GTA's transit system it might as well be the far side of the moon.  However, they mention on their website that they are travelling into Toronto to give courses, so I've e-mailed them for more detail on that.  I'll do a follow up post if I get more information on that.  I'd love to see what kind of exercises they recommend in order to get in shape for some serious adventure travel.

That said, for everyone outside of the GTA I still think that the concept is a great one, and it's one that can be put into effect individually.  Just like the Mt. Fuji example, there are a number of destinations that may have the opportunity for some physically challenging activities, so pick one.  Decide to climb that mountain, or go on that hike, or take that bicycle tour.  Once you've decided that even just one small portion of your travel is going to be physically demanding you can rise to the challenge and begin training yourself for that adventure!

Well, I hope you all found that informative and motivating.  Have a fantastic day everyone and I'll talk to you all again soon.